August 2012

The South African Node of the Millennium Project recently hosted a horizon scanning workshop for a group of researchers and policy makers. Horizon or Environmental Scanning is the art of systematically exploring the external environment to better understand the nature and pace of change in that environment, and to identify potential opportunities, challenges, and likely future developments relevant to an organisation. Horizon Scanning explores both new, strange, and weird ideas, as well as persistent challenges and trends today. Scanning the environment is the feedstock for strategic thinking, innovation, risk and issues management.

The workshop, held over two days, was sponsored by the Rockefeller Foundation which has an interest in building scanning capacity in the region as part of its Searchlight Function. SAMP Node director Tanja Hichert took the group of 13 people on the scan experience of their lives when she explained how to systematically approach the unfolding future and identify the driving forces (trends) shaping the future. Hichert also spent time on conveying the theory of horizon scanning, whilst sharing some of the methods and other practicalities with the attendants.

The two-day workshop was held on the 16 and 17 August 2012 at the Protea Hotel Balalaika in Sandton.

April 2012

A workshop with a difference. On Friday 13 April 2012, the SA Node of the Millennium Project, hosted by die Department of Science and Technology, introduced a group of role players to the Catalysts for Change toolkit. This toolkit was developed by the Rockefeller Foundation in association with their Searchlight Foundation to find paths out of poverty.

Lead by Dr. Bob Day, the workshop was aimed at assessing the toolkit and participants chose issues that interest them from a special map, developed as part of this toolkit. By focusing on action zones and signals highlighted in the map, the toolkit then stimulates new ways of assessing the challenges – and developing inventive ways of addressing them.

While the idea was not to find solutions to the chosen problems, the interesting and new insights the participants arrived at, might just lead to further action. For more on the map and toolkit, visit www.catalyze4change.org.

April 2012

On Thursday 12 April 2012 a group of carefully selected invitees were treated to breakfast and a presentation on the work of the ForesightForDevelopment (FFD) team.

Geci Karuri-Sebina, present chair of the SA Millennium Node, addressed the diverse group, ranging from public to private enterprises, on the importance of including foresight in today’s business. She also gave those present a quick walk-through of the FFD’s website, stressing the need for dialogue on important foresight issues.

ForesightForDevelopment.org aims to create and stimulate debate across professions. Not only is this a way of bringing people with different points of reference in contact with each other, but it allows for richer input when searching for solutions to challenges.

Breaking the Mould

Futures Research Methodology

Futures Research Methodology Version 3.0 is the largest, most comprehensive collection of internationally peer-reviewed handbook on methods and tools to explore future possibilities ever assembled in one resource.